


Ten

by strangerthingswasntthatgood



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: AU, Abuse, Alternate Universe, Angst, CW, Harringrove, M/M, content warning, death of a character, trigger warning, tw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-16
Updated: 2018-03-16
Packaged: 2019-04-01 04:14:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13990260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strangerthingswasntthatgood/pseuds/strangerthingswasntthatgood
Summary: In which Billy Hargrove is a Hawkins Lab experiment and needs some help.





	Ten

**Author's Note:**

> I never edit my works, I'm sorry.
> 
> Also, this doesn't completely work with the show, there's a few things from the Kali episode that just doesn't add up, but oh, well. Enjoy.

“Pick up”, Billy whispered quietly. “Please, pick up.”

Billy stood in a phone booth. One of the windows were crushed and the rain poured inside, soaked his already wet jacket. The phone beeped once, then twice. It was quiet when the person on the other side picked up.

“Eight?” Billy glanced over his shoulder to see if anyone was around. The crushed window worried him, but he doubted anyone would be out tonight. It was far too cold.

“It’s Kali now”, the woman said, her voice cold. “What do you want?”

Billy cleared his throat. He didn’t know exactly what to say or if she’d even understand him, but… she ought to, right? He could hear voices on the other side of the phone, but he couldn’t make out what anyone said.

“Please”, he finally let out, the nails of his free hand digging into his palm. “I need you to kill my dad.”

 

* * *

 

It had been a Saturday morning when it happened. Billy had been curled up in the driver’s seat of his car, arms crossed over his chest and one leg thrown over Steve’s thighs. Steve sat right next to him and tried to figure out what they should order for breakfast.

“How about pizza?” Steve finally asked and threw the papers over his shoulder. He turned to Billy and leaned slightly closer, just to press a quick kiss to Billy’s lips.

“For breakfast?” Billy muttered and opened his eyes to have a look at Steve, but couldn’t help but to smile when he felt Steve’s lips. Steve smelled of something familiar that Billy couldn’t place. It must have been something from his childhood, he had decided.

“Maybe not.” Steve sighed and crashed back against his seat again. Billy watched as Steve closed his eyes and relaxed against the seat. When they were like this, Billy couldn’t help but to notice just how pretty Steve was. Billy’s mother had been an artist, Billy couldn’t not appreciate the beauty in people. He figured Steve would be someone his mother had loved to sketch, with the perfectly “imperfect” face.

“Fine”, Billy sat up and pulled back his leg, as he started the car. “Let’s have pizza.”

They reached the restaurant half an hour later. They had stayed quiet in the car. Billy had been busy thinking about his mother and he didn’t dare to ask Steve what he thought about. It was something they rarely talked about.

“Peperoni.” Steve said, as he pushed the door open and stepped outside. Billy decided not to argue and followed the other outside. He made sure to lock the car, as well, just in case. 

Billy glanced over his shoulder as he held the door open for Steve. He spotted a familiar face in the crowd right outside the restaurant, but couldn’t place it. It would take him another few hours or so before he figured out who it was and by that time, it was too late.

They ordered the food and curled up next to each other on a couch. Billy had his face pressed to Steve’s shoulder and Steve talked about what he had done with his parents when they had been home last weekend. When they got the food, they both silenced and ate. Billy hadn’t realised how hungry he was until the pizza was placed right in front of them. 

They didn’t do much the rest of the day. They drove around, sang to the music on the radio and made out in the backseat of the car. Things was just… good. Billy couldn’t even begin to explain how much he loved days like these.

He came home sometime past six. They always ate half past and he knew he couldn’t skip another family dinner, or he’d get his head smacked. He would, anyway, but Billy didn’t know that yet.

“William?” It was Susan who had snuck her head out from the kitchen. It smelled of chicken in the whole house. 

“It’s Billy.” Billy muttered, as he kicked his shoes off. He walked towards the kitchen to see what Susan wanted, but the second he stepped inside, he knew it wasn’t anything good. His father sat by the kitchen table, a smoke in his hand and the package in the other.

“Billy.”

Billy stayed still. He knew he couldn’t exactly run now, but the fear that rose in his chest made his hands tremble. Before he could say anything else, Neil had stood and walked slightly closer. Susan had turned away, as if this wasn’t happening right there next to her. Billy wanted to be angry with her, wanted to blame her, wanted to scream and shout and he wanted to hurt her until she knew what it was like, but he couldn’t even move right now. Neil stopped right in front of him.

“What’s wrong?” Billy asked. He heard the door open and close and glanced over his shoulder. Max came inside.

“Why did we move to Hawkins?”

Billy glanced back at his father. He didn’t know what to say. They had moved to Hawkins because of Max, but he couldn’t exactly tell his father that. He glanced over his shoulder again. Max had stopped where she was and she made a terrible try to look busy.

“Look at me, Billy.” his father growled and Billy could feel when the man grabbed his shirt. He quickly glanced back at his father.

“Because…. Because I’m queer.” Billy glanced away. He heard Max’s footsteps behind him. Her shoulder brushed against his side as she walked inside the kitchen. Neil smiled at her and ruffled her hair, as she passed him.

“That’s right. And what did we talk about?” Neil asked. He always asked, there was always something they had talked about. 

“That I can’t be with boys.” Billy replied quietly and tried to pull back. Surprisingly, Neil let go off him. Billy took a step back and tried to turn around, but before he could, a sharp pain spread over his right cheek. Susan gasped and Billy carefully glanced back at his father. He glanced over Neil’s shoulder and could see Max’s face. She looked tense and sort of worried. Billy had always figured she knew.

“That’s right. You won’t see him again. Do you understand?”

Billy nodded. His father grabbed the back of his head and pulled him closer. The grip hurt. Billy’s breathe hitched and he tried to pull back again, as he felt the tears burn behind his eyelids.

“You’re going back to the lab if it happens again.”

Neil let go of Billy. Billy turned around this time. He couldn’t have a look at Susan or Max right now. He just had to get away from there before Max said anything that would push him over the edge.

His room was cleaner than usual. His dirty clothes were thrown on the bed and Billy could tell Susan had been in there. He supposed she had vacuumed or something. He closed the door behind him, but didn’t dare to slam it shut. He walked around the room for a second, before he punched the door of his wardrobe. The pain felt amazing. He punched the door another three times, before he turned on some music. If he was quick, they wouldn’t figure out he left. He packed a backpack and pulled on a pair of shoes he always had hidden in the closet. Just before he left, he pressed his ear to his bedroom door to see if anyone was close. When he couldn’t hear any voices, he opened his window and jumped out.

He landed on the grass with a soft huff. The wind grabbed his hair and for a second, all Billy could think about was all these stupid girls in movies. He stood from the squatted position and hurried to his car. He climbed inside, threw the backpack to the passenger seat and pulled out from the driveway. Just as he turned away from the house, the door opened. He saw his dad and knew that if he ever wanted to come back, he would probably have to be ready to die.

 

* * *

“You know I only kill criminals.”

Billy let out an irritated sigh. His free hand brushed against the broken window, relaxed a little when he felt his skin break. He watched as blood poured down the window.

“He’s… You know how he is.”

It was quiet again. Billy could no longer hear the voices on the other side of the line, either. Maybe Kali had walked away from whoever she was with.

“He’s gonna kill me.” Billy felt calmer once he had said it out loud. He wasn’t sure if Kali would help him now, either, but now he knew for sure that he couldn’t go back. Worst case and he could probably move back to California, find some job that barely paid the rent and try to live under the radar. Maybe he could find Kali, see if she was still interested in letting him be around. He doubted it. The last time they saw each other, he had refused.

“Are you still in California?”

“Hawkins. Meet me at the usual place?”

“Yeah. I’ll see you.”

 

* * *

The usual place was a glade five minutes from the lab. When they had just escaped, it was a place where they’d usually go together. Even when Billy moved back in with his father, which was right before they moved to California, he’d meet her there. He’d bring her something to eat and sometimes, he’d bring her new clothes. It was the week before his mother passed.

Now, Billy sat in the glade. He had the same clothes on that he had had since he left home.

“Billy.” The voice was oddly familiar and different at the same time. He stood and glanced over his shoulder, only to have a look at the girl he had once known. She had grown up to be a beautiful woman. He was about to move closer, but stepped back at the sight of the people right behind her. He glanced over his shoulder, tried to make out how long it would take for him to get to his car and if he could really outsmart her. He never had before.

“You’re with them again, aren’t you?”

Kali shook her head. The people behind her had stopped. They were a weird little squad, but Billy didn’t take any notice.

“They’re my friends. They’re here to help.” Kali spoke slowly and she took a step forward. Billy nearly took one back again, but decided against it.

“I asked for you, not for them.”

 

* * *

“How’s Jane?” Kali sat right in front of him. The others had left sometime earlier, but Billy hadn’t bothered to ask where they had gone. Billy frowned.

“Who?” Billy asked and glanced down at the plate in front of him. It was the first meal he had had since the pizza with Steve the other day.

“Eleven?”

Billy shook his head. He had no idea who the hell Kali was talking about, but he supposed that didn’t really matter. He poked the food with his fork, sipped the coke rather than ate anything. The fear he had felt in the kitchen was still there, but it wasn’t quite the same. Now it was dormant, a feeling he should be afraid of but that he couldn’t spend more than five seconds thinking about if he didn’t want to get anxious.

“You have to talk to me if you want me to help.” Kali was the one who broke the silence. Billy still didn’t dare to look up at her.

“I’ll let you kill him.”

Billy shook his head again. No matter how afraid he was of him, he just couldn’t do that. No matter how much he hated him, Billy would never be able to do that. The fear of what would happen if Neil didn’t die made him sweat and hs whole body shake.

 

* * *

“Here. You can stay here until it’s done.” Billy said and nodded towards the house. He doubted Steve would ask too much about it, but he didn't like the idea of lying, either.

“Did daddy get rich?”

Billy shot Kali a glance and knocked on the door. Steve opened in only a pair of sweatpants and a loose tank top. Billy noticed how Steve glanced from Billy to Kali and then to everyone else and then back to Billy.

“Kali is a friend”, Billy said to the ground and grinned gently when he glanced up at Steve. “They need to stay here for a day or two.”

 

* * *

They were curled up in bed when Steve spoke. Billy had his back against Steve’s chest and Steve had wrapped an arm around him.

“Kali? How do you know her?” Steve had asked quietly. His voice had been soft and his thumb had caressed Billy’s side.

“We… We went to school together.” Billy lied. It was weird, but it had to be done. He didn’t want Steve to know anything about the lab or what had happened there when he was a kid, especially not when they had gotten this close.

“Okay.” Steve pressed a kiss to the back of Billy’s head. Billy was about to fall asleep when Steve spoke again.

“Is it… Is it the lab? This girl… You know, Hopper’s kid?”

Billy tensed up. He could tell Steve noticed, but Steve kept talking, anyway.

“She’s from there. They… They did things to her when she was a kid. She talk about this Kali sometimes. Jane, she calls Kali her sister.”

Billy tried to pull away and Steve let him go. He sat up and turned towards Steve.

“How much do you know about the lab?” Billy asked quietly and he could feel Steve’s hand on his back. It made him feel somewhat safe.

“Enough. Did they…?”

Billy slowly nodded. Tears spilled from his eyes as Steve wrapped both arms around Billy from behind. 

“It’s going to be okay.”

 

* * *

Max was the one who opened the door. Kali was the only one with him. Max was pale and Billy could see the dark circles under her eyes. Billy doubted Neil had touched her, but for a second Billy actually wondered if she had worried about him.

“Is dad home?”

Max nodded slowly. She stepped aside from the door and watched Kali as they stepped inside.

“And Susan?” Billy asked. He glanced around. It looked exactly like it had when he left. He glanced inside his bedroom and saw that the window was still open.

“She’s inside with Neil. They’re in the kitchen.” Max closed the door and took a step back. She looked as if she was about to ask something, but decided against it.

“Take Susan out. Ask her to give you a ride to the Arcade or something.”

Max nodded again. She slipped inside the kitchen and Billy could hear their voices from the kitchen. Kali had her hand on his shoulder now.

“Let’s go inside, Ten.”

Billy glanced over his shoulder and he swore, if gazes could kill, she would drop dead. She smiled at him, as if she had no idea what she had just done to her.

Susan stopped as soon as she saw Billy and the strange woman in the kitchen. She had makeup on and looked as if she and Neil were about to go out. Her dress snuck around her body and made her look much younger than she actually was.

“William.” she said and hurried closer, carefully grabbed his chin to have a look at the bruise Neil had left there. “Oh, Will. Are you alright? Where have you been? I’ve been so worr-..”

“The lost son returns.”   
  
Billy turned to his father. He didn’t show any signs of remembering Kali, but he doubted his father would remember any of them, even if they stood right in front of him. He had a button up on and a pair of nicer pants.

“We’re gonna have a talk, Billy. Whether you like it or not.”

Billy was about to say something when he heard the bang. He jerked away from Kali and watched as his father sank to his knees. Somewhere in the distance, Susan screamed.

Billy’s heart had stopped. Billy was sure of it. He watched as Susan ran closer to Neil. A growing patch of red spread over the floor right underneath him. Kali gently pressed her lips to Billy’s ear.

“You asked for it.”

Then she was gone.


End file.
